Second-Half Surge Paces Grace
SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – The No. 9 Grace College men’s basketball team erupted offensively in the second half to pick up a road win in the Crossroads League over Spring Arbor on Wednesday night.
The Lancers scored 42 points on 50 percent shooting after halftime to win 71-60 and improve to 11-4 on the season and 3-1 in league play.
Each team’s offense struggled to function at a high level in the first half as Grace took a 29-26 advantage into the break.
The Cougars (10-6; 0-4 CL) earned their only lead of the contest with 7:44 to play in the first half. But back-to-back buckets from Bruce Grimm Jr. handed the Lancers the lead for good less than three minutes later.
After hitting just 13-of-33 from the field in the first half, including 2-of-12 on 3-pointers, Grace found its shooting touch after the break.
Greg Miller and Elliot Smith, in particular, proved their marksmanship with improved shooting in the second half.
Miller, who had seven points on nine shots in the first half, bounced back with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting in the second half. He finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Smith, after struggling to a 1-of-5 performance in the first half, scored 11 of his 13 points after halftime. He made 3-of-4 from the field including his only 3-point attempt in the second half.
The Lancers built their cushion to as many as 12 points midway into the second half.
The Cougars refused to fade, however, and pulled to within seven. But each time Spring Arbor looked dangerous to pull off the upset, Grace provided a response on offense to hold on for an 11-point victory.
Grimm was the most consistent offensive presence Grace had on Wednesday. He led all players with 25 points to go along with 5 assists, 5 steals and 4 rebounds.
Jared Treadway, earning his fifth start of the season, produced five points and five rebounds.
Grace won the rebounding battle by five over Spring Arbor. They also held the Cougars to 2-of-11 from beyond the arc.
The NAIA’s ninth-ranked Lancers will look to continue their winning ways on Saturday when they host Goshen at 3 p.m.